Controller attachment for supplementary circuits.



Nb. 798,427. PATENTED AUG. 29, 1905. W; LINTERN. CONTROLLER ATTACHMENT FOR SUPPLEMENTARY CIRCUITS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7,1904.

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} UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM LINTERN, OF- W'ESTPARK, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE NICHOLS-- LINTERN COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION.

CONTROLLER ATTACHMENT FOR'SUPPLEM ENTARY CIRCUITS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed Noyemher '7, 1904. Serial No. 281,690.

Patented Aug. 29, 1905.

To all whom it may concern: 4

Be itknown that LVVILLIAM LINTERN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Westpark, in thecounty of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Controller Attachments for Supplementary Circuit's, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to attachments for controllers of motor-cars or other vehicles, through which an electric circuit supplementary to the controller-circuits may be operated; and it has-for its object to provide such an attachment which may be operated in the most convenient manner without neces sitatin'g the operators removing his hand from the controller-handle. The supplementary circuit may be employed for any desired pur- I pose for which it is adapted-such, for example, as for ringing a gong in any part of the car, for a conductors signal, or for operating fenders, lights, or other devices. The operators hands being constantly engaged with the power-controller and brake, the prime object of this attachment is to provide means whereby a supplementary circuit may be closed by simple pressure of the operators thumb.

Minor objects growing out of the construction and arrangement of the parts of the attachment will become apparent from the description and be set forth in the claims.

To these ends my invention consists in the novel features, arrangements, and combinations hereinafter described and claimed, an embodimentthereof as applied to the controller of; anelectric-motor car being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

Figure I is a plan view of a portion of an electric controller provided with the circuitclosing attachment. Fig. 11 is an elevation of the upper portion of an electric controller equipped with my attachment, the supplementary electric circuit being shown diagrammatically. Fig. III is an end elevation showing the parts of thea'pparatus which are attached to the controller-box. Fig. IV is a sectional elevation of the block j).

The reference-letter (0 indicates an electric controller of the type usually employed upon motor-cars, having a squared shaft Z) projecting upward through its top, upon which a hand-lever c is removably fitted. A stop (Z projects above the top of the controller-box and is usually .made integral therewith, its

purpose being to limit the movement of the hand-lever c by interceptingthe depending rib 1/ thereof. Thus the travel of the handlever c is less than a complete circle, the dotted lines in Fig. I indicating its extreme positions, in one of which the power is shut ofl from the motor and in the other the motor receives the maximum power. The swinging end of the hand-lever c is raised above the level of its hub, as shown, and is provided.

with an upright handle f, which is prefer ably of hard wood, having a metallic ferrule at and a metallic bushing la, driven therein and screw-threaded, as shown, or otherwise firmly secured to the hand'lever 0.

A metallic lever jis fulcrumed to the handlever at i, and its inner arm passes through a suitable aperture in the hand-lever and extends. horizontally over and slightly beyond the center of the hub of the hand-lever. The outerarm of the lever j extends to its termination close to the hand-lever beneath the handlef', where it is hinged to an uprightrod Z', passing loosely through the bushing It and having rigidly secured to its upper end 9. 0y lindrical push-button Zof a larger diameter than said rod. The button I is fitted to extend loosely into the bore of the handle, said bore being preferably bushed with metal at m. The upper end of the button 1 projects normally some distance above the handle f, as shown in Fig. II, and is upheld by a spiral spring a in the handle-bore thereunder, which spring rests upon the bushing 71 Rigidly secured to the stop (1 IS an upright guide-block p, ofhard rubber or other suitable electrically non conducting material, having 'a broad groove in its outer face, in which acontact-arm 0 is slidably fitted. A stud-bolt r is carried by the guide-block p, and the arm 0 is slotted upward from its lower end, so that it may be slid down over said bolt to its normal position in contact with a metallic plate 1*, secured to the guide-block at the bottom of its groove. A thumb-nut s on the bolt (1 serves to clamp the arm 0 to the guide-block p. The contact-piece 1' may be an angle-plate, as' ,s ho'wn, or of any suitable form, and any suitable means besides the screws shown in the figures may be employed for securing'it to the insulator p,- but it must be provided with means, such as a bindingpost i, for the attachment of a conductingwire H, which latter is connected to the electric device or devices such as a bell o, as shown, or a lamp, or a combination of bell and lamp, or

other devices to be operated by the supplementary circuit-and'i'rom thence said conducting-wire is carried to a battery or generator w. The battery or generator 2/; is connected by .a conducting-wire .1', preferably with the controller a, as shown; but where the controller is properly grounded it is obvious that the wire m may also be connected with the ground-wireof the motor-circuit. The upper end of the contact-armb is extended horizontally over the hub of the controllerhandle, and an adjustable contact-screw y is threaded vertically therein in line with the axis of the controller-shaft b.

r In the operation of the device it is evident that in any position of the controller-handle the operator'can readily depress the pushbutton Z with his thumb Without releasing his grasp upon the handle f and that such depr'ession of the push-button operates to throw the inner end of the lever jinto contact with the end of the contact-screw y, which closesthe' supplementary circuit and operates the hell 4; or other electric devices connected therein. The blcck. -10 being composed of nonconductin9; material serves to insulate the arm 0 and contact plate r from the controller. When it is desired to remove the controller handle from its shaft 6, the arm 0 may first be removed by loosening the thumbnut 8.

Without limiting myself to details of construction, which may be varied within the scope of the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In apparatus of the class described, the combinationwith conducting means for. an electric circuit, of a con trolier-handle, a pushbutton in said handle, and operative means whereby an inward thrust of said push-button closes said circuit, substantially as set forth.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a power-controller, of conducting .neans for an electric circuit, a controllerehandleg-a {lash-button in said handle, and operative connections whereby at any point in the travel of said handle said circuit may be closed by an inward thrust of said push-button, substantially set forth.

3. In apparatus of the class described, the combination witha po'wei controller. of conducting means for an electric circuit, a re movable controller-crank provided with handle, push-button in said handle, and operative means whereby an inward displacement of said puslrbutton effects the closing tease? of said circuit, saidaneans being adapted to permit the removal of said crank, substantially as set forth.

4. In apparatus of the class described, thetroller-handle provided-with a push-button,

and operative means whereby a displacement of said push-button eifectsan electrical connection between said arm and said controller,

substantially as set fbrth.

6. In apparatus of the class described, the

combination with conducting 'rneans for'an electric circuit, of controller having aremo'vable crank provided with a handle, a lever fulcrurned to said crank having its inner a'rrn extended over the center of said crank, a puslvbutton in said handle operatively connected to the outer arm of said lever, and an arm electrically connected to said conducting means secured to and insulated from said controller and. extended over the inner end of said lever, substantially as set forth.

7. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with conducting means for an electric circuit, of a power-controller, a removable crank upon said controller provided with a handle, a lever fulcrumed to said crank having its inner arm extended over the center of said crank, push-button in said handle operatively connected to the Later arm of said lever guideblock of insulating material rigid attached to said controller, a contact-piece secured to said guide-block and connected to said conducting means, and a removable contact-arm adapted to slide upon and be clamped to said guide-block bearing against said contact piece and adapted to be engaged by the inner end of said lever, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, at Mansfield, Ohio, this 3d day of November,

WILLIAM LINTERN. I Witnesses:

Gnonen A. MEAD, F. VJ. MILLER. 

